Somali Government gives green light to the New Deal process launched in Mogadishu today.
14 May 2013 – His Excellency Prime Minister Abdi Farah Shirdon today gave the green light to the implementation of the New Deal process for Somalia on behalf of the Federal Government.
Somalia embraced the New Deal process put forward by the G7+ group of 19 conflict-affected countries at a launch event attended by representatives of the EU, AU, UN, UNDP, and a wide range of diplomats and donors.
The process brings together government, civil society and leading donors to bring structure to the aid and support Somalia receives. Aid effectiveness is crucial in fragile countries like Somalia, which is recovering from a long standing conflict.
“We are committed to collaborative and effective engagement with the international community and country-level stakeholders,” said the Prime Minister at the launch event. “This will ensure sufficient representation of all individuals and organizations who can influence the New Deal implementation for Somalia.
The New Deal process for Somalia has already been agreed by the Council of Ministers, the Parliament, international partners and local stakeholders including civil society, the media and the private sector, and we have given it the final green light today.”
Prime Minister stated that the government will begin the process by establishing a taskforce to assess the causes and features of fragility and conflict.
In this phase of work, fragility and resilience indicators will be identified to ensure that government can measure progress against peace-building and State-building priorities.
“The government will undertake the first phase of the New Deal principle, which is a comprehensive fragility assessment. Each country is different, and many areas of the reforms described in the process are already underway in Somalia.
We have already initiated the National Security and Stabilization Plan (NSSP) and reforms on Justice, Security, and Public Financial Management, which are key components of the New Deal principles.”
Prime Minister underlined the importance of long-term and flexible support by international partners despite the challenges they face in structuring the aid plan. He also pointed out that aid fragmentation compromises long-term aid effectiveness and that it is necessary to have “one vision and one plan” for Somalia.
“Somalia needs continued commitment from international partners and significant political support for an extended period of time. In this regard, we are advocating for a compact that focuses on a relatively small number of issues that can be achieved within the timeframe of the agreement,” Prime Minster said in his speech.
